Chris ready for Euros in Italy
HE grew up two doors down in Grange from Seamas Keogh and they both used to play football on the street. Seamas went on to captain the Republic of Ireland U15s this year, while Chris O’Donnell is ranked fourth in Europe for the U20 400m.
He’s counting down the weeks until he competes in the European 400m in Italy and it’s clear with another Indoor National title and a sensational time of 46.92 in Belgium in recent weeks, Chris is relishing his chance at the Euros.
Grange is certainly producing more than its average elite athlete, with swimmer Mona McSharry, also on Team Ireland, from the same hometown.
Chris says it’s a big deal for the North Sligo village. “The three of us are all from this little village, who would have thought it. It’s good for others as well as it can encourage them. We all live close enough, Seamas is my neighbour.
“Although he is a few years younger than me, we used to play football on our street a lot.” It was football that paved the way into athletics for 19- year- old Chris a number of years ago.
“I was playing for both Benbulben and Sligo/ Leitrim. I was on the wing and always quite fast and the athletics coaches then said I should try athletics. I was trying to juggle both at first and I decided to see where my running would take me.
“I gave up football then, that was three years ago, it was all football up to 2014,” he explains.
The coaches obviously saw something in 16- yearold Chris and he jumped straight in. “My first coach in Grange was Rosemary Heraghty and once I started getting success,
“I started training with Roddy Gaynor, my current coach, on the IT Sligo track. The facilities in the IT added a lot for me and it really took off from there,” Chris explains.
He said despite being new to competition, he was second in two Internationals and won three National titles.
“It was funny I suppose growing up I was following the likes of Bolt at the Olympics but I was more a football fan, my family were all football fans too. There wasn’t really any runners as such in my family.” Chris was certainly a star in the making and his titles kept increasing, setting the Championship record at the National outdoors in the U18 400m back in 2015 one of his many accolades.
That same year he also came first in the Celtic Games International in the same category.
Ahead of the Europeans, Chris is firmly focussed on the 400m but he is also a fan of the 200m distance.
“One of the favourites I love is the 200m but with the success I’ve been having in the 400m, I cannot ignore that either.
“I like the 300m and 100m, they are important for speed,” he adds.
Aside from Chris, Zak Irwin was another elite athlete who won similar titles to the North Sligo runner, showing the quality of athletes emerging from the Northwest who are able to compete with the best at Irish and European level.
Chris says: “Zak is up there with a similar amount of success at my age too.”
Having a serious stab at the upcoming Europeans in July, Chris looks back on the incredible number of titles won over the three short years and recalls there’s a few that stand out for him.
“Every year has been good in a sense and looking back to that first year, I was so raw and to have two internationals, looking back on that, I even surprised myself,” he adds modestly.
A few weeks ago, he won the prestigious IFAM International in Oordegem, Belgium, running a fantastic 46.92 for the 400m. Winning his race, this time not only qualified him for the upcoming European Junior championships in Italy, it also places Christopher near the top of the European Junior rankings table for the event.
Christopher’s previous best time was 48.09 from 2016, so to run a time that actually skipped the 47 seconds mark is exceptional.
“That was the European A standard and I’m now ranked 4th fastest in the European 400m.” That high ranking isn’t letting Chris take his mind of what needs to be done come July though.
“It’s all about what happens on the day. I cannot pass too much heed on that.
“It’s what happens on the day that counts, you don’t get a medal for being ranked third or whatever,” he points out.
There are top- class athletes from all around Europe in contention, including an Italian who runs a quick time but Chris says you never know on the day. “Hopefullly with the Euros, I’ll have a good stab at a PB or under, the U20 Irish record in the 400m is 46.66, mine is 46.92.”
He said he’ll be focussing completely on the 400m and the 400x4 relay as well for the European Championships. His Team Ireland colleagues are also gearing up for what hopefully will be a successful event for the group. “Jacqui Freyne is Head of Athletics with Team Ireland and is great. I travel to Dublin for squad days with the team but most of the time all my training is based in Sligo. International coaches don’t really interfere in training schedules,” he adds.
Grosseto in Italy is where all the action will be happening from July 20th and Chris says he cannot wait for the games to begin.
“I’m really looking forward and I’m trying to put in the best performance that I can. I’ve trained hard and now that it’s only a couple of weeks to the Championships, I’m ready to go.”
The stifling hot conditions could put some athletes more used to Irish climes off, but not the North Sligo runner.
“There will be really hot conditions but I like that. It was 30 degrees when I was running in Belgium, the hotter it is for sprinting, the better because your muscles are more relaxed and you’re quicker. Whereas your muscles tense up in cold weather here.
“When you think of the Jamaican and American runners who are the best in the world, they run in heat and that’s why they’re the quickest,” Chris explains.
The Euros is the big thing for him before he starts thinking of next year. “This is my last year U20 and I’ll be U23 after that, going up into Senior and I’ll be competing in the British University Championships so I’m looking forward to that, it’s very competitive.”
What was his favourite win so far? There’s quite
a large amount to choose from. Chris says: “I’ve two Championship records in Ireland, at the U18 Nationals in 400m in 2015 and last year in the 200m Nationals.
“I also had two big wins in the Celtic Games International in Scotland back in 2015, so I guess they stay and out.”
Being a top- class athlete means a lot of travel but thi sis something Chris revels in.
“We go away for warm weather training in Portugal. You are more competitive after racing abroad, being able to run with a quicker field who are strong.”
Recently Chris defended his Senior Schools title in The 400m in Tullamore, another good result ahead of the Euros. “I tend to race indoors as part of training but my focus is on the outdoors.
"The fact that I train hard indoors means I’m fresh when the training is done.”
He credits his family and friends as being a big sup-port throughout the long hours of training. “Running is very much an individual sport and I’m lucky I have them as they are very supportive to me.
"You do the hard work yourself and I look at it as youget out of it what you put in, you’re in control of your own faith.”
Chris praises his coach Roddy as being instru-mental in his training programme.
“Roddy has put a lot of time into it and as a coach he's had a lot of success. He’s made sure that I’m ready for the Championships and has worked hard at ensuring I’m in the best shape and I trust him that he will have me in the best shape.”
An integral aspect of being an elite athlete is diet nutrition but it’s not an area that Chris gets stumped with.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t touch sweets or anything like that.
"It's easy for me because I never had a sweet tooth. They I look on it, I’m looking at the next competition and I'm not going to be eating rubbish because if I do, then I won’t be able to perform at my best.”
Where does the 19- year- old see himself in a few years time?
"The Olympics is obviously up there. I cannot rule Tokyo 2020 out yet.
"I'll be 22 then so you never know if I keep pro-gressing and I need to be working hard and should be if that’s my aim.”
Chris regularly keeps in touch with fellow Sligo athletes Kieran Elliot and Cian McBride and David Gillick, the twice European Gold medallist at the 400m Indoors even got in touch following Chris’s exploits on the Belgium track. “David told me he was happy to see another 400m runner doing well. It was nice to get a message from him.”
With more and more young people getting involved in athletics in Sligo, Chris says it’s fantastic to see.
“There are lots of kids coming through and if I was to give them any advice or inspiration it would be to stick at it.
“I’ve seen a lot of really talented athletes and then when they reach teenage years they tend to drop off, but it’s really enjoyable once you stick with it,” Chris adds.
He maintains tremendous work is being done at primary school level throughout the county and has a lot of admiration for the hours Dermot McDemott clocks up around the county every week.
“Dermot is doing a fantastic job at getting kids involved in running and keeps them interested. He’s flat out. The event he organised last year for Mary Cullen was unbelievable, the crowds were fantastic and I didn’t think Sligo had that in it. With the upcoming Sligo City Sports night ( June 21st) it’s wonderful seeing the good athletes travelling such as Mark English and Ciara Mageean, two of the top and we are lucky that they are coming to Sligo,” he adds, saying he will be at the event but won’t be competing .
Chris says young people should try and be as sporty as possible. “Sport really keeps you healthy and makes you feel so much better .”
The O’Donnell family, mum Heidi, dad Philip and little sister Karla are all travelling with Chris to Italy for the Europeans and he said the excitement is building in their Grange household.
“My family are proud of me and sometimes they get too excited,” he laughs. “It’s important I keep my feet on the ground and not get too excited ahead of big races.
“My younger sister Karla is a big support too. She’s not into sport yet but maybe in the future! My family always come to races with me, they enjoy it and love going.
“They wouldn’t miss the Euros, it’s great to have them there.”
It’s all about the Europeans now for Chris and he says there’s a decent Irish team heading to Italy.
“There is a strong Irish team going and lots of people have qualified from Ireland.
“In terms of Connacht, it fairs poorly enough represented, its other counties such as Dublin and cities like Belfast that have a lot going.”
He said he doesn’t get too anxious ahead of the big races.
“I get excited waiting around. I try and stay as relaxed as possible and not get nervous.
“I warm up an hour beforehand, the key for me is to stay strong and fresh and not getting too tensed up because if you are, you won’t run well.
“I’m really looking forward to it and hope it all goes well,” Chris says.
After the Europeans, his season will be drawing to a close and the focus then will be on his next move.
After completing a PLC course his year, Chris got accepted for a Sports Scholarship in a prestigious college which has lots of accomplished athletes in its alumni.
“I’m going to college in Loughborough in the East Midlands. I was lucky to get in, there are some really good athletes over there.
“The Sports Head got in touch after knowing my times and I cannot wait to get started over there and meet lots of different athletes. David Gillick was also there too.”
So the current Irish 400m star is yet again following in the footsteps of another who set the athletics world alight.
DAVID GILLICK GOT IN TOUCH FOLLOWING MY WIN IN BELGIUM. HE SAID HE WAS HAPPY TO SEE ANOTHER 400M RUNNER DOING WELL.